Cyclone Winston devastated Fiji in February of 2016. Sea Mercy was immediately ready to respond and was tasked by the government with Disaster Response and Recovery for the remote islands in the Lau Group. The information in this blog will keep you up-to-date on our actions and their impact on the communities we are helping. Your continued support will be essential during the long-term recovery process so we will also list current donation and volunteer opportunities here. Thank you!!

Map of Fiji

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Below is an incredible video production by our friends at
Telecine.ca that tells the story of Sea Mercy's efforts in Fiji following
Cyclone Winston. It captures the volunteer heroes (captains, volunteers,
sponsors) and the hearts and spirit of the people of Fiji who were impacted by
this natural disaster.

As Sea Mercy winds down our 2016 Disaster Response &
Recovery programs in the South Pacific, and with the dangerous and deadly
results that Climate Change is producing, we are already preparing for not only
"next year" in Fiji (continuation of current rebuilding programs),
but also preparing for the "next one" (cyclone, earthquake, tsunami)
no matter where it might hit; Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau,
Solomon Islands, Marshall & Mariana Islands, or wherever we are needed.

JOIN US!
As a non-profit charity, we are always looking for those who believe in what we
do and who want to help us help the often forgotten and "at risk"
people living on the thousands of remote islands across the Pacific.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

In the Lau Group and Taveuni, over 90% of the
clean drinking water supplies comes from water catchment (roofs/guttering) into
water storage tanks. On February 20th, Cyclone Winston destroyed or damaged 80%
of the homes and buildings, leaving the remote island villagers without the
ability to capture and store enough water to get them through the dry season. We
are now 4 months into the dry season and our greatest fears have become a
reality and the people are now in desperate need of clean drinking water. With
only undrinkable brackish wells to pull from, and 3-4 months until the rainy
season returns, they desperately need clean water delivered to them
immediately.

Sea Mercy’s dedicated Landing Craft was built
specifically to carry a desalination unit that can not only generate 10,000
liters of pure drinking a day, but also carries over 400 meters of flat fire
hose to effectively deliver that emergency water to difficult to access water
storage containers in a village. Since June we have generated and delivered
tens of thousands of liters of clean drinking water to the devastated islands
in the Lomaiviti area. The Lau Group now needs us!

The current drinking water needs for the
dozens of at risk villages in the Lau Group and Taveuni areas is well over
100,000 liters if they are to make it through the dry season. To meet the
emergency needs there, we will be relocating our Landing Craft to Northern Lau
group and Taveuni areas and staging the necessary fuel there to operate the
Landing Craft for the next 30-60 days (until the needs are met). We are seeking
assistance to help cover the fuel costs of sending and operating her there.

We have calculated the fuel needs at over FJD
$10,000 in order for the our Landing Craft to generate and deliver the
necessary water to the “at risk” Northern Lau and Taveuni remote villages. We
are seeking donations and sponsors to help us offset these operational fuel
costs. If you can assist, please use the link below to visit our website and make a secure donation (Credit Card or PayPal). Thank you!

Our detailed and first-hand assessments of each island, coupled
with the local leadership direction of Sea Mercy's Lau Fleet Director, Jonathan
Robinson (S/V Chez Nous), has provided the National Disaster Management Office
(NDMO) and our Fiji based leadership team with the most accurate information
available to insure any "Sea Mercy sponsored aid" is delivered to
meet those specific needs.

With regards to the recovery and rebuilding projects, we have
not taken the typical approach of "build it for them" but instead, we
are providing them with the tools, supplies and instruction they need to allow
them to "build it themselves" and to take ownership of the rebuilding.
This approach has had a huge impact on the recovery phase, but the vast needs
on these remote islands far outweigh our resources.

As a result, we are creating a "NEEDS" page to share
with those individuals or organizations who may wish to assist us (partial or
full sponsorship) to meet the specific needs. Use the link below to access the
list of items needed and to donate.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

A Symbol of Hope for Nasau - This 4 month project was a labor of love and many friends and
partnerships were formed as a result. Sea Mercy had never tackled a project of
this magnitude before, yet we were blessed with the financial, equipment and
talent support needed from ourlocal and international relationships. Individually, none
of this could have been accomplished, but working together, no matter the size
or distance of the project, anything is possible.

Great job to all those involved with the
school project and we look forward to continuing to develop our programs and
services to the people of the South Pacific.

As Sea Mercy's Disaster Response
projects in Fiji following Cyclone Winston draw closer to an end, the
recognition and appreciation of our many volunteers for all their hard work,
long hours, and use of their talents and resources are flowing in. Although seeing
the joy and happiness of a local family, student or worker is reward enough, it
is always encouraging to receive the recognition
and "thank you's" coming in from the various ministries that we have
worked with these past few challenging months.

The attached letter from the Ministry of
Health is encouraging and the special recognition they have given to our Lau
Group Coordinators Jonathan and Donna Robinson (s/v Chez Nous) is well
deserved.

Since February, the Robinson's have been the lead coordinators of Sea
Mercy's Recovery Efforts in the Lau Group of Fiji. Whether it was coordinating
the Response Fleet of 10+ volunteer vessels, delivering emergency food, water,
shelter and medical care to the devastated islands, completing and submitting
remote island assessments, securing additional aid, planting gardens, fighting
infestations, securing more aid, digging wells, clearing debris, refilling
water tanks, securing more aid, guiding visiting Super Yachts wanting to assist,
rebuilding homes and hospital wards, and working with local officials and NGO
volunteers... they have been the "tip of the spear" for Sea Mercy and
have made the impossible happen in an impossible situation.

A heartfelt “thanks” to Jonathan,
Donna, and the many other Sea Mercy volunteer captains, first mates, crews, and
vessels who gave of their time, talent and hearts to assist the people of Fiji.

CURRENT NEEDS: April 2016

FUNDING:

Financial donations provide us with the most effective way to assist the remote islands. With guidance and direction from the National Disaster Management leadership in Fiji, we only use those funds to purchase the most needed items (import protocols and customs approved) for the devastated remote islands. Please use the PayPal button below for international donations and the bank routing information for local donations.